City buses roll out on third route

Cuttack, Jan. 29: City buses began operating on the third route today from Jagatpur to Sum Hospital, Bhubaneswar.

With the introduction of the service on this route, commuters from Jagatpur can save a lot of money.

Sudhanshu Swain, a marketing officer working for a private company in Bhubaneswar, said: “I can save Rs 500 per month. With the introduction of the service, it will cost me around Rs 2,500 per month to travel to Bhubaneswar and back to Jagatpur.”

Swain, who stays in Jagatpur, used to spend around Rs 3,000 per month towards fuel for his motorcycle to travel to his office at Khandagiri from Cuttack. Earlier, a commuter had to spend around Rs 30 to 35 to travel to Madhupatna Square and Badambadi bus terminus from Jagatpur in an autorickshaw and additional Rs 15 towards bus fare to travel to Bhubaneswar.

“The total transportation cost was nearly Rs 100 for travelling from Jagatpur to Bhubaneswar. But now, a passenger can travel to Bhubaneswar and return to Cuttack by paying Rs 70 for the city bus service,” said student Nihar Ranjan Sahu.

Ten buses will ply on the third route, which is an extension of the ongoing services from Nakhara to Jagatpur. The route will cover nearly 45 km with 36 scheduled stoppages.

Dream Team Sahara (DTS) is operating the city bus service in public-private-partnership mode with the Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL).

A total of 125 buses of BPTSL have already been registered under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The bus service was introduced in Bhubaneswar in October 2010 as a joint venture of DTS and BPTSL under the JNNURM. Later, chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the service in Cuttack on May 16, 2011. At present, 30 buses operate from the millennium city, including 10 buses on the extended third route.

“We are planning to start operating an additional 60 buses. The state government has already sanctioned Rs 15 crore for the project,” said BPTSL chairman Anant Narayan Jena.